;An American living in Tainan, Taiwan ROC. I do not speak either Mandarin Chinese or Taiwanese; although I'm making a semi-serious attempt at learning the latter - at least conversationally. I am not an english teacher.
And no...I'm not a "newbie.

I live in the historic and somewhat lovely city of Tai'nan. It is located on the southwest coast of the island. Its not a bad place to live and have a family...which I do. The city is the former capital, a noted center of 'culture,' is widely known for its food - especially various 'snack foods' - and is the site of one of the first outposts of the 'wai guo' (foreigners) who established themselves here on the island for trade and 'religious' reasons. They were Dutch. They didn't last all that long. But their presence is still regarded today. Mostly as a 'curiousity' thing...they wore a lot of fur clothing and it gets really hot and steamy here for a large part of the year. They eventually upset the local Chinese warlord, himself a refugee from a failed coup attempt on the mainland. The Chinese, who were invaders themselves, surrounded their fort at An Ping, a suburb of the city directly on the water, and through attrition by disease and desertion, smooth talking and the occasional cannon fire forced the remaining Dutch troops to give up. The Chinese warlords, in a smart move, allowed the established merchant traders to stay.
In one of the numerous city parks here there is a large and well-known statue of the Dutch Generals kou touing (kow towing, bowing in penitence - Taiwanese politicians caught embezzling do it a lot on TV today) in formal surrender to the Chinese warlord. Its a featured stop on school tours. A lot of Taiwanese have their picture taken at the statue I'll post a photo of it some time.

Traditional Markets...the place for fresh food!

Good food and good prices. Shopping is almost a daily thing. After a few years folks are friendly and we also catch up on the local 'gossip.'.

...and the wind...cried...Mary...
James Marshall Hendrix


After much searching, once again I find myself. And for this, I am thankful.